![\"BHSFIC](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_0402.jpg\")
<\/a>BHSFIC front entry<\/p><\/div>\n
I check in with the principal, Serene, when I arrive.\u00a0 She happens to be speaking with Edward (facilities manager) about where my classes are going to be and what I need.\u00a0 Great timing!\u00a0 We schedule to meet at 1:30.\u00a0 I kill time before lunch in the library, cleaning up my powerpoint.\u00a0 I head down to lunch around 11:45.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice to see some of the faculty again.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been working all week, and have a few stories to tell.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Lunch choices at BHSFIC. (Right to left) Pork, chicken, and a duck\/chicken dish.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>More choices: vegetables with egg, some kind of a tofu dish, and noodles<\/p><\/div>\n
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![\"Noodles,](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_0400-300x224.jpg\")
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- Noodles, Rice, and “chinese tortillas”<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
![\"3](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_0401-300x224.jpg\")
<\/a>3 soups, and sweet potatoes. I haven’t tried the white stuff yet?<\/p><\/div>\n
After lunch I find my room and start fiddlin\u2019 around with the sound system.\u00a0 It\u2019s way more than I need, and a little complicated, since all the notations are in Chinese.\u00a0 I make a few educated guesses, flip a few switches, and I have sound.\u00a0 Edward arrives and gets my computer hooked up to the projector, and I\u2019m in business.\u00a0 Now all I need are students.<\/p>\n
Since my room number is changed for this week, the students are slow to arrive.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got Maynard Ferguson\u2019s \u201cBirdland\u201d playing to help them find the room.\u00a0 I even played along on my clarinet (as best I could).\u00a0 They filter in, very friendly, and chatting with each other.\u00a0 When the bell rings, I turn on Copland\u2019s \u201cFanfare For The Common Man\u201d.\u00a0 I needed something short that would get their attention.\u00a0 As it finishes, I check roll.\u00a0 Each student has an \u201cEnglish\u201d first name they\u2019ve chosen.\u00a0 I don\u2019t attempt their last names today.\u00a0 Even checking roll in our first class, I can see where the \u201cproblem\u201d children are.\u00a0 They\u2019re not really problems, but they\u2019re a little too talkative.\u00a0 Some creative seating adjustments should solve the problem.<\/p>\n
The rest of class is spent working through the powerpoint about my education and teaching experiences.\u00a0 Since these students will be attending universities in the US, and part of my job is to help \u201csocialize\u201d them, knowledge about the US high schools should be relevant.\u00a0 I get in a few musical excerpts from the Martin Band, and some short video clips of a marching band.\u00a0 One of the students, tells me he plays trumpet, and was the drum major of his marching band.\u00a0 I\u2019m anxious to find out what his experiences have been.\u00a0 He seems very proud of the group.<\/p>\n
I also have a flutist, several pianists, and a few students play violin.\u00a0 Six tell me they play \u201cChinese Flute\u201d.\u00a0 One of the students tells me he plays Chinese fiddle?\u00a0 I ask what the difference is between a Chinese fiddle and a regular violin?\u00a0 \u201cNothing\u201d, was the answer!\u00a0 I\u2019m going to give him a chance to play, so we\u2019ll find out what makes it \u201cChinese\u201d.<\/p>\n
Overall, the students are quiet and attentive.\u00a0 They are slow to respond to my questions.\u00a0 Some of the reluctance may be \u201clanguage\u201d related, and some may be \u201cpeer\u201d related.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been told they are unaccustomed to answering for fear of \u201closing face\u201d.<\/p>\n
The classes are 45 minutes each, with 10 minutes in between.\u00a0 Both are about the same.\u00a0 One has 33 students, and the other has 30.\u00a0 When I get my own room, I\u2019ll need to work on a seating arrangement that gets them closer to me (or me to them).\u00a0 The 5th<\/sup> row is too far back, and it\u2019s too easy for the students to \u201cdrift\u201d.<\/p>\n
When class ends at 4:00, I begin gathering my stuff, and realize how \u201cout of shape\u201d I am.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a while since I stood for that long (except on the subway), and used that much energy.<\/p>\n
Several of the faculty members are \u201cunwinding\u201d together after school, so I join them.\u00a0 We end up eating at a restaurant with a rooftop patio.\u00a0 It\u2019s a gorgeous evening (I began wishing I had a jacket as it got dark).\u00a0 There are some really dedicated teachers in the group.\u00a0 This is going to be an interesting year in so many ways.\u00a0 I commute home on the subway, with all my junk, arriving about 8:30.\u00a0 I was in bed, and asleep by 9:15.\u00a0 I need my rest!\u00a0 I have class tomorrow!\u00a0 I\u2019m teaching two whole days<\/span> in a row!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yea!\u00a0 I finally get to go to work today!\u00a0 No vegetable prep and market shopping for me.\u00a0 Traveling to school and students are my order of business today. \u00a0I\u2019m loaded like a mule.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got my clarinet, and a big … Continue reading
- Noodles, Rice, and “chinese tortillas”<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n